This has just the proper amount of old school and new school game mechanics to cover virtually any science fiction scenario. The races, background and 'mechs give this a flavor unique to itself, a cross between MechWarrior, Cyberpunk and Space Opera. Overall, well worth the purchase.

Though I have to admit I’m more of a fantasy roleplayer than anything else these days, I used to dabble in futuristic worlds from time to time. That list included FASA‘s Battletech and Mechwarrior, Dream Pod 9‘s Heavy Gear, R. Talsorian Games‘ Cyberpunk 2020, GDW‘s Traveller, West End Games‘ Paranoia and Star Wars Roleplaying Game… and I’m sure I’m missing a few.

But it’s been a while since I’ve seriously looked at anything in science fiction. So Battlelords of the Twenty-Third Century from writer Lawrence R. Sims and publisher SSDC Inc. was a bit of a shock to the system. That said, as I read through the rules it was a bit of a throwback to older, more complex systems and the setting was quite intriguing. It hit me a bit like the webcomic Schlock Mercenary meeting the backstory of Aliens or Blade Runner where the corporations run everything.

The Battlelords rulebook weighs in at 292 pages with a crisp, clean technical look and feel that reminded me of the Cyberpunk 2020 books. The artwork really sells the setting well for me, with art scattered every few pages throughout the book. With a product of this size, the amount of artwork was refreshing.

For the rest of this review, check out http://www.gameknightreviews.com/2011/04/book-review-battlel-ords-of-the-twenty-third-century-rulebook-by-lawrence-r-sims--and-ssdc/

When I first saw this product, I was skeptical, but something in my gut made me give it a second look.

The setting is a somewhat standard science-fiction (though it does, at least, utilize entirely unique races, though nothing remarkably revolutionary) scenario, something of a mix between Schlock Mercenary and a more gritty, realistic science fiction (all the settings that pop into my mind are not necessarily homogeneous between times, but a close fit would be classic Traveler). It has a lot of content for the length.

The writing, however, is the number one thing I'd wish to address. It's great. The art, the writing, everything comes together to turn the book into a good read. Not necessarily one for beginners, but one that's definitely professional grade. The art is, by some accounts, old, but I feel it is retro, rather than low-grade, since it shows a high degree of artistic quality, even if the technical grade makes one think of books a couple decades old.

Ah yes, that takes me to the other part I liked about this product. It's like a mix of perfect nostalgia with a entirely new thing, like rediscovering the old Star Wars comics I read years ago.

I'll even give it the (mostly) safe for kiddies endorsement, since there's no egregiously bad content (harsher swearing is censored out, which may vex some readers, and much like the Shadowrun of old, any stronger swearing used in universe is replaced with a proxy).

The d100 system is flexible, and doesn't feel overly simplistic, which is one of my gripes with several systems. On the other hand, while it is slightly more complex than some, it's certainly manageable.

Seriously, if you want a good sci-fi game for a low price, look no further. Fully illustrated and well written, Battlelords is an amazing find.